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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tube — a container
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — to get on
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. degree — temperature
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com